| Summary of Required Course Materials | ||
| Canvas | You must review Canvas regularly. For technical support, please use Canvas Student Support. | |
| Course Website | Any material I keep here will also appear on Canvas | |
| Peer-reviewed Articles | Required text for this course. | |
| Learning Objectives | |
| Level | Students will be able to... |
|---|---|
| Remember | Identify and recall key concepts and terminology related to zoo biology, such as taxonomic classifications, animal behavior terms, and basic biological principles. |
| Understand | Explain the fundamental theories and principles of zoo biology, including the importance of biodiversity conservation and the role of zoos in wildlife conservation efforts. |
| Apply | Apply their knowledge of zoo biology to analyze and solve real-world problems related to animal care, exhibit design, and wildlife conservation strategies within a controlled zoo environment. |
| Analyze | Evaluate the ethical and practical considerations involved in managing zoo populations, critically assess the impact of human activities on animal habitats, and propose evidence-based solutions for enhancing animal welfare and conservation efforts. |
We will take a tour of some of these careers and interests by interviewing a series of experts from Henry Doorly Zoo and other institutions.
You will be the drivers of these sessions, which means I expect you to do your own critical thinking and preparation before our meeting with a given expert. Each of you will post a set of potential interview questions for each guest, which we will discuss as a class.
One small group of students will be in charge of compiling and revising the question list for every guest and then moderating our class interview with them.
Below is a tentative schedule for the semester. This is subject to change and will be updated on the live Github link and the course Canvas page, so please check back regularly.
| Current Schedule for Zoo Biology - Spring 2025 | ||||||
| Day and Time | Format | Agenda | Reading Title | Reading Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 - Foundations | ||||||
| Mon, 1/20 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | - | ||
| Tue, 1/21 1:00 PM | Lab | No Class | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 1/22 1:00 PM | Lecture | Intro to the Course | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 2 - Foundations | ||||||
| Mon, 1/27 1:00 PM | Lecture | Institutions and Oversight | In Defense of Zoos and Aquariums: The Ethical Basis for Keeping Wild Animals in Captivity | hutchins2003 | ||
| Tue, 1/28 1:00 PM | Lab | Institutions and Oversight | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 1/29 1:00 PM | Lecture | Institutions and Oversight | Can zoos offer more than entertainment? | winders2017 | ||
| Week 3 - Conservation | ||||||
| Mon, 2/3 1:00 PM | Lecture | Headstarting, Rescue, and Rehabilitation | The Role of Zoos and Aquariums in Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations | gilbert2017 | ||
| Tue, 2/4 1:00 PM | Lab | Headstarting, Rescue, and Rehabilitation | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 2/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Assurance Populations | Developments in amphibian captive breedingand reintroduction programs | harding2016 | ||
| Week 4 - Conservation | ||||||
| Mon, 2/10 1:00 PM | Lecture | Assurance Populations | Collection planning for the next 100 years: What will we commit to save in zoos and aquariums? | powell2019 | ||
| Tue, 2/11 1:00 PM | Lab | Assurance Populations | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 4 - Health | ||||||
| Wed, 2/12 1:00 PM | Lecture | Exam | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 5 - Health | ||||||
| Mon, 2/17 1:00 PM | Lecture | Demographics and Genetics | Expected demographic and genetic declines not found in most zoo and aquarium populations | checastaldo2021 | ||
| Tue, 2/18 1:00 PM | Lab | Demographics and Genetics | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 2/19 1:00 PM | Lecture | Demographics and Genetics | Genomics‐informed captive breeding can reduce inbreeding depression and the genetic load in zoo populations | speak2024 | ||
| Week 6 - Health | ||||||
| Mon, 2/24 1:00 PM | Lecture | Reproduction | Assisted reproductive technologies for endangered species conservation: developing sophisticated protocols with limited access to animals with unique reproductive mechanisms | herrick2019 | ||
| Tue, 2/25 1:00 PM | Lab | Reproduction | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 2/26 1:00 PM | Lecture | Reproduction | DESLORELIN (SUPRELORIN®) USE IN NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS: TAXONOMIC SCOPE, DOSING, AND EFFICACY | agnew2021 | ||
| Week 7 - Health | ||||||
| Mon, 3/3 1:00 PM | Lecture | Medicine | Precision wildlife medicine: applications of the human-centred precision medicine revolution to species conservation | whilde2017 | ||
| Tue, 3/4 1:00 PM | Lab | Medicine | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 3/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Medicine | The Great Ape Heart Project | murphy2018 | ||
| Week 8 - Health | ||||||
| Mon, 3/10 1:00 PM | Lecture | Nutrition | Guest Expert: Dr. Cayla Iske | Visual body condition scoring in zoo animals – composite, algorithm and overview approaches | beheerder2017 | |
| Tue, 3/11 1:00 PM | Lab | Nutrition | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 3/12 1:00 PM | Lecture | Nutrition | The Provision of Browse and Its Impacts on the Health and Welfare of Animals at the Zoo: A Review | ramont2024 | ||
| Week 9 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 3/17 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | - | ||
| Tue, 3/18 1:00 PM | Lab | No Class | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 3/19 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 10 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 3/24 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | - | ||
| Tue, 3/25 1:00 PM | Lab | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 3/26 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 11 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 3/31 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | Differing animal welfare conceptions and what they mean for the future of zoos and aquariums, insights from an animal welfare audit | veasey2021 | ||
| Tue, 4/1 1:00 PM | Lab | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 4/2 1:00 PM | Lecture | Exam | Doing better for understudied species: Evaluation and improvement of a species-general animal welfare assessment tool for zoos | obrien2023 | ||
| Week 12 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 4/7 1:00 PM | Lecture | Monitoring and Assessment | Choosing the Right Method: Reinforcement vs Punishment | ramirez2020 | ||
| Tue, 4/8 1:00 PM | Lab | Monitoring and Assessment | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 4/9 1:00 PM | Lecture | Monitoring and Assessment | The Art of ‘Active’ Training | martin2020 | ||
| Week 13 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 4/14 1:00 PM | Lecture | Training and Management | An evaluation of the role of ‘biological evidence’ in zoo and aquarium enrichment practices | brereton2023 | ||
| Tue, 4/15 1:00 PM | Lab | Training and Management | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 4/16 1:00 PM | Lecture | Training and Management | In search of the optimal enrichment program for zoo‐housed animals | podturkin2021 | ||
| Week 14 - Behavior | ||||||
| Mon, 4/21 1:00 PM | Lecture | Environmental Enrichment | When zoo visitors “connect” with a zoo animal, what does that mean? | howell2019 | ||
| Tue, 4/22 1:00 PM | Lab | Environmental Enrichment | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 4/23 1:00 PM | Lecture | Environmental Enrichment | Evaluating the contribution of zoos and aquariums to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 | moss2015 | ||
| Week 15 - Society | ||||||
| Mon, 4/28 1:00 PM | Lecture | Community Engagement and Education | Access and Inclusion Go to the Zoo | lukins2024 | ||
| Tue, 4/29 1:00 PM | Lab | Community Engagement and Education | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 4/30 1:00 PM | Lecture | Accessibility and Inclusion | A community-Based sensory Training Program leads to improved experience at a local Zoo for children with sensory challenges | kong2017 | ||
| Week 16 - Society | ||||||
| Mon, 5/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Public Policy and Advocacy | The value of zoos for species and society: The need for a new model. | spooner2023 | ||
| Tue, 5/6 1:00 PM | Lab | Public Policy and Advocacy | None or TBA | - | ||
| Wed, 5/7 1:00 PM | Lecture | Public Policy and Advocacy | None or TBA | - | ||
| Week 17 - Society | ||||||
| Wed, 5/14 12:30 PM | Lecture | Exam | None or TBA | - | ||
| 1 Check back weekly, as I will update this online version as we adjust our pace and plans | ||||||
This is not an online or hybrid course. - I designed the curriculum and objectives specifically with that in mind, so to succeed you must attend and engage with every scheduled meeting. You will not pass this class if you are unable to attend and take your own notes.
Absences may only be truly excused if they have been registered through the Accessibility Services Center. Please do not provide me with any personal or medical details to explain your barriers to attendance or assignment completion. While I do care about accommodating these issues when they arise, I also care about your privacy and respect that office’s expertise in managing the conditions and complications that are outside of my purview. I do my best to integrate a reasonable and universal degree of flexibility into our schedule and assessment plan to accommodate some work/life balance while also ensuring equity and reasonable progress in your learning. I am happy to receive requests and recommendations to help me update and improve this approach for everyone, but I will only create personalized accommodations by working directly with the ASC.
Please also know that I genuinely appreciate opportunities to work with and around student barriers by collaborating with the ASC. If you know that you are coming into the semester with learning barriers (e.g., neurodivergence, visual/auditory processing differences), I strongly encourage you to register this with their office and then communicate with me about the ways I can work this into my approach from the beginning.